1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to a testing apparatus in particular for a tester suitable for, but not restricted to, testing of electrical circuits such as are found in trailers and towing vehicles.
2. Background Information
Virtually all trailers are equipped with a standard set of rear lights that include turn lights, marker lights, back-up lights and brake lights for example. Inspecting these lights is usually quite time consuming and often annoying. For example, it is not uncommon for the inspector to first activate the selected rear light and then the inspector or inspector's assistant walk to the rear of the trailer and determine whether the corresponding lights are operating property. Again, this is often quite cumbersome and inconvenient. This process of manually activating each lighting system, and then walking around the trailer to verify proper performance is also quite time consuming and obviously inefficient and in the case of brake lights, almost impossible for one person.
While there are prior art devices, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,990,788 to Syracuse, designed specifically for testing a trailer's rear lighting system, such devices lack the ability to be compatible with a variety of receptacles or electrical interface components. As such, none of these prior art devices, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved vehicle circuit tester for conveniently testing a trailer's rear lighting system including turn signal lights, marker lights, back-up lights, braking lights, with the ability to be compatible with a variety of receptacles and electrical interface components. The present invention meets these needs.